A Side of Steamed Petals
by Cavetroll001
Summary: A collection of short stories based in my Steamed Petals AU. Unless otherwise noted in a chapter's AN these are all cannon to my AU, but take place off screen of the main story.
1. Memories and Regrets

**Hello everyone, welcome to the first, uploaded, chapter of my one-shot story compilation. Unless specifically stated in my opening AN for a chapter, everything you read here is cannon to my Steamed Petals AU. These are just little side stories that have sprung up from questions that arise, in my mind, from things that happen in Steamed Petals, or just something that pops into my head that won't leave me alone until I write it up. This chapter is chronologically out of order from the ones to come in the future, but, because of the plot of this story, was date specific. I hope you enjoy the story.**

* * *

 **Memories and Regrets**

A lone figure walked among the tombstones. Two other, smaller figures in combat skirts waited a short distance away. They had been accompanying the third, but had been motioned back, and held position, knowing their companion needed some privacy for this initial greeting.

A hand reached out from the figure, brushing dried leaves and dust from one of the markers. The figure kneeled down, leaving the hand resting on the stone, as its head bowed, and the shoulders shuddered in obvious sobs.

The figure raised its head and looked at the words on the marker. Hei Xiong, Born: Feb. 9, 945; Died: July 17, 1002; Beloved Husband and Loving Father.

"Hey dad, it's me, Junior. It's been thirteen years since you passed, and this is the first time I've visited you since we laid you to rest. You always said I was a failure, and I guess this kind of proves it. I'm sorry dad. I'm sorry it took me so long to come see you, but it took a long time for me to come to grips with the fact you were gone. You were a tough old bastard, and I honestly thought you'd outlive us all, being too stubborn to die." Junior takes a shuddering breath before continuing.

"It took me even longer to forgive myself. The last words we ever spoke to each other were words of anger. I can't even remember what it was we fought over that time, but it must have been something stupid. Mom always said I got my stubborn streak from you and she's right. It took nearly five years and your passing away for me to talk to you again. Mom's doing alright, but she has her bad days with her breathing because of all the smoking she did in the past. She's quit now though, and I'm glad for her. It only took three hospitalizations for pneumonia to make her decide to quit for good. Guess you and I aren't the only ones in the family with a stubborn streak, heh. I visit mom at least once a week, and talk with her even more often, and no matter what's going on at the time we always end our visits or conversations by saying 'I love you' to each other. I'm never making that mistake again. Mom always says that you still loved me as your son, and that you never believed we'd never talk again. The thing is, we never did talk again, and I only just recently allowed myself to forgive myself for that, but I will never hear you say you still loved me." Junior wipes his eyes with his left hand, his right still resting on the headstone, and then motions the two girls forward.

They join him, kneeling on the opposite side of the grave. In honor of the solemnity of the day, both girls had elected to wear black, but Melanie still wore her white flower hairpin and Miltiades wore her red and white feathered hairpin. "Dad, I'd like you to meet my girls, Melanie and Miltiades. They may not be mine by birth, but I've raised them for the past ten years, and I've come to love them as my own. I never thought I'd have or want kids, but when I saw these two ragamuffins scrounging through the dumpsters out behind my bar, I couldn't turn them away. I took them in and started looking for their family hoping to find some relatives who would be willing to take them in, but that turned into a dead end, and I didn't want to turn them over to the foster care system, I'd heard too many horror stories about it. Instead, I went through the bureaucracy and obtained legal guardianship of them. It's amazing what will be overlooked in a person's background when it comes to being allowed to raise unwanted orphans. Now I know why there are so many stories about the foster system. I'm just glad I was able to keep these two out of that nightmare." Junior shakes his head thinking what could have happened to them.

"Mom absolutely loves them, although she's not a fan of their fashion sense, and there are times I think they wear certain outfits trying to provoke me into an argument about clothes. Anyway, I've raised them the best I can and given them what they needed to grow into a couple beautiful and talented young ladies, but they've decided they want more out of life. They want to give back to everyone that has less than them, and so, they've applied to, and been accepted into Beacon Academy. I'd made sure they could take care of themselves in a normal fight, but last year, a lone girl busted up my bar and put Miltia in the hospital with a fractured jaw and cracked ribs. Turns out the girl was a huntress in training, and my girls wanted to be able to handle themselves like that, plus they liked the idea of protecting those that couldn't protect themselves. They've put a lot of time and effort into learning martial arts, and have made names for themselves in the Pit, which I don't approve of, by the way, but they start as freshmen at Beacon this fall so I wanted them to meet you before they left. Girls, say hello to my father." He smiles gently at the two.

"Hello Mr. Xiong." Melanie says.

"Hello Grandpa." Miltia greets.

Junior smiles to himself. He had suspected the greetings would be something like that. Melanie had always called him Junior, and Miltiades had always called him dad. That is, once he got them out of the habit of calling him sir. It didn't matter to him what they called him, he knew they both loved him and he loved them both.

They spent a few moments in silence around the grave and then Junior gets up, dusting himself off and saying, "Come on girls, we promised your grandma we'd stop in for an early lunch before we met up with Mr. Xiao Long for your training session this afternoon." The irony was not lost on Junior that the man who came so highly recommended to help further train his daughters was none other than the father of the girl who single handedly tore up his bar. "I'm sure the next time you meet Yang you'll want to show her how much you've improved."

* * *

 **There you have it. Yes, I am writing myself in as Junior here. This is very close to what happened between my dad and myself, and it has taken me this long to forgive myself for allowing the last words I ever spoke to my dad to be ones of anger. I will always regret never being able to reconcile with him, so, please, if any of you reading are in a situation where the last words you spoke to a loved one were ones of anger, please think about getting in touch with them and try to come to terms with the issues between you. Every year on this date I have to remember the pain of his passing and I kick myself for not swallowing my pride and apologizing for whatever stupid thing it was we argued over. All I can do now is Keep Moving Forward.**


	2. Roman, We Need to Talk

**Welcome to the second short story based in my Steamed Petals AU. Chronologically, this story takes place between the Prologue and Chapter 1, so please keep that in mind. You'll see at the end exactly where it falls on the overall RWBY timeline.**

* * *

 **Roman, We Need to Talk**

Roman's day hadn't been going very well so far. Those stupid mutts were behind schedule, and if the train wasn't ready to leave in exactly, Roman looks at the countdown timer Cinder had given him, 2 days, 7 hours, 18 minutes and 50 seconds, it would be Roman's hide roasting in the flames of Cinder's wrath.

He wasn't afraid to admit, that woman scared the crap out of him. The first time he'd met her, when she was looking to hire him for a job, he'd been his smooth and cocky self. She had seemed to respond to his charms, but he now realized she had just been playing him, letting him dig his own grave before she struck, and strike she had. He still shuddered at the torments she'd put him through. His aura had been able to heal the cuts and bruises, but the burns. Burns never did heal cleanly, even with aura, and thanks to that crazy broad, Roman would never again be able to lounge on the beach without a shirt.

Roman heard a muffled pop from the other side of his door, and then a gentle tapping upon it. "Come in Neo, it's open." This was something he had gotten used to rather quickly. Once he had signed up with Cinder and her crew, he had been introduced to Neopolitan. He was told she would be his assistant, which he read as handler. Her multicolored hair and mismatched eyes, which had an unnerving habit of swapping sides when she blinked, made her kind of cute, but the vibe she gave off unsettled him.

He hears the door open and someone enter. Without looking up from what he was doing he asks, "What did you need Neo dear?" He knows she'll be glaring at him with annoyance, he still hasn't figured out if she really is a mute, or simply refuses to speak but as long as he refused to look up she would stand there and fume.

"Shouldn't you at least look at the person about to kill you, Roman?" an unexpected voice purrs forth from the figure standing in front of his desk as his office takes on a deadly orange glow.

Without conscious thought, Roman presses himself into the back of his chair, and pushes back away from his desk until the chair runs into the rear wall. "C-C-C-Cinder, t-to what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?"

The predatory smile Cinder levels on him does nothing to relieve the fear that has suddenly clamped down on his chest, and her words offer even less comfort. "My dear Roman, your reaction to my showing up seems to suggest that maybe you have something to hide. You know it's never a good idea to try and hide things from me because when, not if, but when I find out I can become most displeased. You should know by now that my displeasure is not something you want directed at you. I will ask you one time only Roman. Whatever could you be trying to hide from me?"

How, how could she know already, he'd only just gotten the report that they were falling behind himself. He hadn't even had a chance to take steps to correct the situation. "H-how d-did you find out s-so quickly? I j-just got the report that we were slightly behind schedule. I was about to go motivate our compatriots to work harder and get us back on track."

A light laugh spills from Cinder's lips as she says, "Oh Roman, do you honestly think I would come to this hole for something so trivial as your group falling behind schedule? Had I know you were behind schedule, I would have simply sent Mercury or Emerald to explain things, and if that didn't work, I would have let Neo have some fun. Now Roman, what would bring me here to the base to confront you, asking about something you're hiding from me?" When Roman fails to answer, Cinder continues. "Allow me to give you an hint. It has something to do with a dust shop and a huntress, ring any bells."

He wracks his brain trying to remember which of his jobs had been crashed by a huntress. Only one came to mind and then he paled as he recalled the specifics of that job.

"From the look on your face it seems you recall what I'm talking about. What was the story you told me? Something about the job being interrupted by a huntress. Was there anything else that happened?" Cinder smiles as she allows the flame in her hand to dissipate.

With the threat of immediate immolation gone, but understanding that the flames can be instantly summoned again, Roman takes a breath before replying, "To be fair, I never said it was the huntress that disrupted the job. You simply inferred that she was the one that interrupted the job and I didn't correct the misunderstanding." He flashes his most disarming smile.

The smile Cinder gives in return causes the gentleman thief to swallow reflexively and think that, perhaps, this is not the time to try and be smart with this dangerous woman. "Really Roman, has nobody ever told you that a lie of omission is still a lie?" In a flash her hand shoots out towards him and Roman's aura flares as a half dozen needles of glass dust impact it.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, you know how much I hate coming here Roman. Now, be a good boy, lower your aura and accept your punishment. If you do, I will only use the glass dust, and once we're done, your aura will heal it up quickly." Her silky voice and pouting expression could wrap many hearts around her fingers, but then her voice falls in pitch and a shadow seems to descend over her features.

"Force me to waste my time burning through your aura and I will add different dusts into the mix. Imagine being charred, frostbitten and electrocuted all while razors take off thin slices of your flesh. Force me to do that and you will not only have to deal with healing your wounds and replenishing your aura, but you will still have to motivate the Fang to work faster because the deadline stands. Miss the deadline and I'm sure Neo will enjoy teaching you non-verbal communication, seeing as how I will be taking that silver tongue of yours and presenting it to my Queen as your apology." As she speaks, a large number of shards, made from various types of dust, form and are now hovering, waiting for their mistress's command.

Visibly trembling, Roman takes a deep, wavering breath. He knows she will not hesitate to do exactly as she said. For some reason this base seems to bring out a much more viscous side to the woman. She never acted like this in the old base. With some trepidation, Roman lowers his defenses, the shards hovering around Cinder not having wavered in the slightest.

As soon as his defenses are down, the shards shoot forward, but, true to her word, only the glass shards reach him, the others stopping short. When there is no resistance from his aura, Cinder recalls all but the glass shards, reverting them to their powder form and returning them to the various vials and pouches upon her person. The glass shards she reforms into thin blades and tiny needles and begins the process of teaching Roman not to lie to her.

Ten minutes, or an eternity later, Roman wasn't sure which, the lesson came to an end. His clothing had been shredded and no part of his body that had been exposed was free of tiny cuts. Cinder had preserved his modesty but that was the only part she hadn't subjected to her ministrations. Each needle had targeted a nerve cluster and each cut was shallow, just enough to send the nerves into overdrive.

"We're done here, Roman. I took the liberty of having Neo pop over to your quarters and fetch you some fresh clothes. Heal yourself up and get changed, I need to borrow Neo for a couple hours and you need to get the mission back on schedule. Just so you know, that bit about presenting your tongue to my Queen, that wasn't a joke or a threat. Miss the deadline and I will cut your tongue out and then give you to Neo for training. I'm sure she would enjoy that, wouldn't you Neo?" Cinder looks behind her and Roman notices the ice cream killer standing in the doorway, a bright smile on her face and an excited look in her eyes as she glances between Cinder and Roman.

"Neo, dear, you are not to get in the way of preparations. I know you are excited at the prospect of having a playmate, but this is a mission for the Queen, and her wishes come first." Neo pouts for a moment, but then she tilts her head to the side with a questioning expression on her face.

Cinder sighs to herself saying, "Well, I guess that would be alright. You can have the next person who challenges you as a playmate, assuming, of course, you let them live long enough." An expression of pure joy crosses Neo's face. "Not right now though, Neo, I need your help with a couple things first. Come along now so Roman can have some privacy while he changes and we can head to our first destination."

Roman watches as the two of them disappear, likely headed to Neo's quarters since he hadn't seen her parasol.

A few hours later, after thoroughly chastising the mutts, giving them permission to use a couple of the Paladins to move some of the crates, and admonishing them not to challenge Neo anytime soon, Roman is inspecting one of the completed bomb cars that will be attached to the train when he hears his right hand Faunus shout. "Hey boss, we found something you might want to see."

Responding to the shout he calls back, "Is it good or bad, Perry? Because let me tell you, I have had a day."

Perry's response of, "Uh, it's a little girl." causes him some concern.

It couldn't be her. Surely she couldn't be here. Leaning out of the bomb car and seeing the red girl once again, his expression falls. "That would be bad." He says, tossing his cigar into a puddle.

* * *

 **Hope you all enjoyed that. I just had to use those quotes here. Anyone who has read my main story "Steamed Petals" may think that Cinder is acting OOC compared to her behavior there, but remember, she's told Ruby before that fear is an excellent motivator. This happens to be one of those times where she has to motivate someone in the organization. Reviews and comments are always welcome, and, as always, Keep Moving Forward.**


	3. A Short Walk and a Long Road

**Hello everyone and welcome to the third side story based in my Steamed Petals AU. Those who have been reading "Steamed Petals" may have been wondering why Cardin was acting OOC in the last chapter. Yes, I did hint in an earlier chapter that Cardin's attitude may be changing, his behavior in the last chapter was much different than what is usually attributed to him. I was working on this story at the same time as the Steamed Petals chapter and this, I hope, gives much more insight into Cardin's changing attitude.**

* * *

 **A Short Walk and a Long Road**

Cardin storms out of the dining hall. Those who see him coming wisely step aside, those who don't see him are tugged out of his way by those who had.

Looking neither right nor left, not caring about the stares directed towards him Cardin bursts through the doors and stomps outside, his feet following one of the many paths that spider-web their way around Beacon's campus. Cardin has no destination in mind, he simply needs to move and so allows his feet to follow whichever path they want.

 _'Why am I so angry?'_ Cardin thinks, feeling his anger roiling, bubbling and churning, ready to explode forth at the slightest provocation. _'What is wrong with me today? Why did I snap at Rus and Sky like that? If I hadn't left when I did I probably would have decked whoever spoke up next.'_

The spark of a memory flashes in his mind, causing him to stop short. _'No, that can't be it. That's not today, it can't be.'_ His right hand twitches slightly as he retrieves his scroll with a trembling left hand. His eyes widen in horror as they look upon the date. Suddenly his right hand spasms and then clenches into a tight fist as a searing pain shoots up his right leg.

Gritting his teeth and growling at the pain he returns the scroll to his pocket and begins trying to pry his right hand open with his left. _'It's not real. The pain is all in my head. All the tests and scans have shown that. There's nothing wrong with my hand or my leg, the pain is just in my head.'_

After a couple minutes the pain begins to subside and Cardin is able to gingerly flex the fingers of his right hand. He glares at his hand as if it's betrayed him and then rubs his right leg. Looking around himself, Cardin tries to determine where on campus he is when one building catches his eye. The Hall of Heroes, where the names and symbols of all the huntsmen and huntresses who have fallen in the line of duty are engraved on marble plaques and then colored with their signature hue.

 _'I should have known I'd end up here eventually.'_ Cardin thinks to himself. _'Not that it really matters. I don't know anything about her that could help me find her plaque.'_

As he stands looking at the structure, a voice behind him speaks up. "Good day Mr. Winchester. I suspected you would visit here at some point today."

Turning to the speaker, Cardin bows his head in respect. "Headmaster Ozpin." Looking back at the structure he continues. "Coming here doesn't really do me much good. I don't know anything about her that would help me find her plaque."

"Not true, Mr. Winchester." Ozpin says as he moves up to stand next to the young huntsman. "You have a date and a face. We are in the process of computerizing all of the records and there is a terminal inside that will allow you to look up a specific date to see the hunters who passed away then. There will be a picture, a name and a brief bio for each hunter, so it should be quite easy for you to find your savior."

"You know what happened to me nine years ago." Ozpin nods and Cardin continues. "Then you know about..." He trails off looking at his right hand.

"I am well aware that you lost your hand in that incident and that it was subsequently replaced with a bio-enhanced prosthetic. I am also aware that your right leg is covered in scars from that same incident. Neither your new hand nor your leg hamper you in any way except for one day a year." Ozpin states in his calm voice.

"You probably want me to leave Beacon because of them then?" Cardin asks.

"As I said, there is only one day a year where you have issues . So long as you do not volunteer for any missions on that date, your performance as a huntsman will be unaffected." Ozpin's neutral expression gives nothing away.

"Is that why my team's mission was pushed back several days?" Cardin asks the headmaster.

"I would never interfere in the missions of my students. The delay in your departure was simply due to a number of bullheads being taken out of service temporarily for some much needed maintenance. With a shortage of transports, the missions were assigned an order of priority, your mission simply had a lower priority than some of the other missions being undertaken." Ozpin's perfectly level tone still giving nothing away.

Cardin looks askance at the headmaster, but can find nothing to refute about the simple explanation, still, he suspects him of manipulating events to his own ends. Looking back at the edifice, Cardin thinks to himself _'May as well get this over with. Now that I know about the archive the need to find her will just eat away at me until I come back.'_

As he begins ascending the thirteen steps to the entrance, Cardin notices that the headmaster is keeping apace of him. Glancing over with a questioning look in his eyes, Cardin is about to ask about this when Ozpin speaks up.

"No Mr. Winchester, I am not following you. I am merely here to pay my respects to some old friends."

"And you just so happened to choose the one day you suspected I would show up here and just happened to be nearby when I did." Cardin replies, not even trying to hide the sarcasm in his voice.

"While such serendipitous occurrences do happen in our world on occasion, this time my choosing this date was intentional. As for my being here at the same time as you, I knew you would likely show up sometime after lunch and there is a very comfortable bench under a tree that provides shade for much of the afternoon. Much of the work that requires my attention can be done via scroll so I decided to work outside this afternoon, knowing you would not realize all you needed was a date to be able to look up the information on the person you're searching for." The explanation coming from the normally elusive Ozpin catches Cardin off guard. "Also, I have sent a memo out to your afternoon teachers informing them that you were to be excused from class. I informed them that today was a day of remembrance for you, so take as long as you need."

As he walks away, leaving Cardin standing in front of a normal looking terminal, Ozpin says, "I will be around should you need any help or if you wish to talk. It takes me a while to pay my respects, and it seems to take longer every year."

The hint of sadness Cardin detects in the headmaster's voice surprises him. Looking around, envisioning the size of the building Cardin wonders, _'How many names does this place hold? How many of those names does the headmaster visit? How many friends, colleagues and even students have had their names added to these walls? When it is time for my name to be added to the walls, if Ozpin is still around will my name be one he visits?'_

Shaking his head to try to clear it of such questions, Cardin look back at the terminal. _'He said all I had to do was enter a date and the computer would bring up a list of hunters that gave up their lives on that day, but am I ready for this? Do I have the courage and strength to face her plaque and tell her how sorry I am that she had to protect me from those beasts? That she shouldn't have had to sacrifice herself to save me from those animals? That I will dedicate myself to ensuring that their kind will never again harm another innocent?'_

Taking a deep breath and clenching his right hand into a fist he steels his resolve. _'I'm ready, I will get stronger and those animals will all pay for what they did to me and for taking her light from this world.'_

Typing in today's date nine years ago and looking specifically for huntresses a short list with thumbnail pictures comes up. Comparing the pictures with his memory, Cardin finds only one woman that it could be. _'I've found her!'_ He thinks as he opens up her file, not paying attention to the name, simply eager to find out more about his savior.

The picture that is displayed when the file opens gives Cardin pause. "No, no, no, no. This can't be right. There has to be some mistake." He mutters aloud.

"Ah, I see you've found her file already." Ozpin says as he reenters the room.

It doesn't even cross his mind to ask why the headmaster would be returning to the entrance room already. "Sir, there must be some sort of mistake. The woman that rescued me, she didn't... she wasn't..." He trails off, motioning towards the picture.

"In point of fact, the woman that rescued you did indeed have rabbit ears and was, in fact, a Faunus." Ozpin says calmly.

Shaking his head emphatically, Cardin exclaims, "No! I remember it quite clearly, my savior was a human, not one of those-" He cuts himself off, realizing what he was about to say in front of the headmaster.

"Animals? Beasts? Monsters?" Ozpin shakes his head speaking gently. "The Faunus are none of those things. They are simply people like you or I. Yes they have some animal like traits that give them certain advantages, but they are still thinking people with emotions. It has only been eighteen years since open hostilities ceased between the humans and the Faunus, and what happened to you occurred a scant nine years after the hostilities calmed down. Resentment between the two sides was, and realistically, still is quite high. Incidents like what happened to you were far too common back then, but most of the time it was an innocent Faunus being brutalized by a human mob. Think back to that day, try to remember exactly what happened, but look at it, not with the blinders of a frightened eight year old, but with the open eyes of a young man of seventeen, training to become one of the shining lights that push back the darkness."

Closing his eyes, Cardin thinks back to that fateful day.

* * *

 **Nine Years Ago**

Pain is the first sensation that comes to the young boy. Pain in his head from where someone struck him. Pain in his side from being kicked repeatedly. Pain in his hand from where someone had stomped on it and then ground it into the pavement. Pain in his leg where someone had set loose a dog to savage him.

He slowly cracks his eyes open, his vision swimming. He looks up at his tormentors with pleading eyes. He looks up into a sea of horns, antlers and animal ears and all he gets in return are sneers of scorn, words of ridicule and the occasional glob of spit.

"You think you're better than us because you're a human?" a voice asks, the question punctuated with a kick to the boy's side.

"We've all had friends beaten and killed by you humans." another voice says, this time accompanied by a kick to his other side.

"You're going to deliver a message for us so that the humans know we're not going to take the abuse any more. Although, you won't be doing much talking when we're done with you." This time the voice is accompanied by a stomp to his injured leg.

A scream of pain is wrenched from him as he feels the bone snap from the force of the blow. His scream elicits roars of laughter from his tormentors. That is, until one of them is forced to stumble forward into those ahead of him by a blow to the back. Another goes down hard, his legs having been swept out from under him. A third is grabbed from behind and swung into the side of a building with enough force to render him unconscious when his head bounces off the wall.

Pandemonium erupts among his tormentors as bodies go flying. He can hear the thumps of blunt objects impacting flesh and the occasional crack of a bone breaking followed quickly by pain filled shouts.

Suddenly his tormentors are fleeing from the area and there standing with her back to him is an avenging angel sent down from the heavens to protect him. As she turns to face him Cardin sees a warm smile and brilliant hazel eyes that sparkle with life and joy.

"That was a bit of excitement, eh sport." The woman kneels down next to him and reaches her right hand out towards him.

When Cardin flinches back from the hand, the woman says in a gentle voice, "It's okay sport, I'm not going to hurt you. I just need to check your injuries. I know a bit of first aid and I can probably help you out a bit, but I'm not the greatest medic. Hang in there for me, others should be here soon and they'll get you patched up."

There is a sudden, sickening thud from the woman's back and a muscular arm snakes around her neck. A husky voice whispers, "You started paying attention to the pup too soon." The shadowy figure behind the woman jerks and there is another thud. "This is what you get for interrupting our fun you filthy human sympathizer." The figure jerks again and there is a third thud as blood starts seeping from the corner of the woman's mouth.

A loud voice rings out telling the shadowy figure to stop what he's doing and move away. It quickly moves away, dropping the woman onto her side. There is more shouting, running footsteps, a gunshot, the sound of a body hitting the ground and the clatter of something metal. None of it really registers in the eight year old Cardin's mind as he watches the light leave the eyes of his avenging angel.

* * *

 **Present**

Tears leak from his eyes as Cardin recalls himself from his memories. He saw for himself what his eight year old self refused to acknowledge. His avenging angel was indeed a rabbit Faunus. She had fought her own people to protect him, had given her own life to shield him from further harm.

Looking to the headmaster Cardin asks, "How could she have been killed so easily? Back then I didn't question it, but now that I know about aura, how could her attacker have bypassed it? She didn't look as if she had had her aura depleted."

"Aura is not an invincible defense. There are ways to get around it. In this case the attacker's blade had been infused with black dust, a very rare form of dust that can bypass a person's aura. It is extremely dangerous for a person with an unlocked aura to handle black dust as it will slowly strip a person of their protective barrier, and it cannot be affected by a person's semblance." Ozpin says in a gentle voice.

"What do I do now? I came here to thank her and to swear that I would make all of those like the ones who killed her pay. How can I do that now that I know she was a Faunus like the ones who attacked me and killed her?" Cardin laments, truly at a loss as to what to do.

"You can still take that oath, Mr. Winchester. It wasn't the Faunus as a people who killed her but a mindset of fear, anger, hate and bigotry that killed her. The White Fang are an example of Faunus that fall into this category, but there are many humans who fall into that category as well. Dedicate yourself to fighting that mindset if you wish to honor her memory. Now I believe it is time for you to visit her plaque and give her your thanks at the very least." Ozpin says as he stands up from the bench they had been sitting on.

Cardin nods his head and follows the headmaster as he leads the way, apparently knowing exactly where he's going.

A short time later the headmaster stops indicating a plaque. "Here we are Mr. Winchester."

Cardin looks up at the plaque, noticing a stick of incense burning in the holder next to it. "Someone's already been here."

"Yes, you are not the only person inspired to become a hunter because of her sacrifice." Ozpin replies.

"Who besides me would be inspired by her sacrifice to become a hunter?" Cardin asks incredulously.

"I take that to mean you really haven't taken in the name of your savior." Comes Ozpin's reply as he again indicates the plaque.

Looking at the plaque and finally taking in the name he had been too distracted to read, Cardin's eyes go wide and his jaw drops. There, engraved on the plaque is the name of the woman who saved his life, HAZEL SCARLATINA, and next to the name is her symbol, a heart contained within a circle with a single line of stitches bisecting the heart vertically.

Unable to tear his eyes away from the name, he stammers, "Sc-Sc-Scarlatina, sir?"

"Yes, Velvet's aunt. It was the story of how her aunt saved the life of a young human boy from a mob of angry Faunus that inspired Velvet to become a huntress. She even patterned her combat gear and symbol after her aunt's."

"But I... but... but..." Cardin's mind is reeling from this revelation.

"It does appear that you have been mercilessly harassing the niece of the woman who saved your life."

All of the blood leaves Cardin's face in realization. "I have to go, sir. I need to find Velvet and apologize to her, beg her to forgive me."

"Calm yourself Mr. Winchester. Going to try and find Miss Scarlatina right now would not be the best idea." At a questioning look from Cardin, Ozpin continues. "Prior to my coming here to wait for you, I assigned Miss Scarlatina to a mission that will be leaving tomorrow morning. She is, most likely, preparing for that mission at present, and I would suggest that you not antagonize her teammates by insisting on seeing her. They are not unaware of what has transpired between the two of you in your time here at Beacon."

Cardin gulps at this, but then asks. "Does Velvet know that I'm the boy her aunt saved?"

"Not that I'm aware of, and whether she finds out in the future or not is up to you. You stand at a crossroads in your life. Will you continue on the road you currently travel, or will you turn onto this new road and see where it leads. I suggest you take some time to think about what you intend to do and about what you wish to tell Velvet if and when you do see her again. Whatever you choose, I can only hope the road of life is a long one for you. I do not look forward to adding more names to the ones I currently visit." With that, Headmaster Ozpin turns and walks away

Cardin looks back to the plaque and brushes his fingers across the name that is now indelibly etched in his soul as well. _'I am so sorry. I have wasted the gift you gave me and hurt someone you love.'_ A single tear rolls down his cheek as he turns and walks away.

* * *

 **Okay, there you go. Anyone who has read my main story probably realized that there would be some connection to Velvet as soon as Ozpin said that Cardin's savior was indeed a rabbit Faunus. Before any wild rumors start flying around, no, I do not ship the Bully and the Bunny and there will not be a romance between the two. Hope you enjoyed this story. Reviews and comments are appreciated, and as always Keep Moving Forward.**


	4. Of Pudding and Libraries

**Hello everyone. In this chapter we find out what happened after Ren and Nora left the dining hall in the main story. I hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

 **Of Pudding and Libraries**

As Nora bounces out of the dining hall, huge grin plastered on her face she thinks to herself, _'I wonder what they think will happen between Ren and me. I'm certain whatever it is will be mostly wrong.'_

She knew, as soon as she had looked into his eyes like that, that she had made a mistake. His sudden departure simply confirmed it. Their friends thought it was funny, that he was running from the situation because he was embarrassed and that she was following to force a confrontation. They also thought they were heading towards the dorm. They were wrong on all counts. Ren was not embarrassed, she was not going to force a confrontation, they were not heading towards the dorms, and this situation most definitely was not funny.

As soon as she is certain her friends can no longer see her, the smile falls from her face and she breaks into a sprint. In his state, the last place Ren would be is the dorm room, he will be in one of his nooks. Someplace he will be undisturbed and unobserved, and Nora has already found all the best places to hide. She has even shown them all to Ren, they have been friends long enough that she knew there were going to be times when he would need to get away from everyone.

Nora first checks the roof of the mess hall, it's the closest spot, but she strongly doubts he would go there. It's too close to people for now and she is only checking on the very slim chance that this wasn't going to be as bad as she suspected. She's not surprised that he isn't there and so moves on.

Next up is a classroom that wasn't in use anymore, and instead is being used to store old school records and such. The door to that room is locked, but the one next to it is open. If you crawled out the window of the open room you could stand on a small ledge and shuffle your way over to the window of the locked room, which the faculty hadn't bothered to lock, after all, who would shuffle along a tiny ledge on the third floor of a building just to sneak into a room with nothing more interesting in it than records of students who attended Beacon back during the time of the Great War. Ren isn't here either, so she moves on, exiting through the door since you can open it from the inside.

She dashes to the stairway and starts sprinting down towards the basement. She leaps over the railing of the final flight of stairs and lands with a solid thump in front of the door to the underground area. Yanking the door open, she tears off down the corridor. Coming to a T intersection she leaps, kicking off the wall and angling herself down the left hand passage and then kicking off the opposite wall and landing in a full sprint towards what she knows is a locked door behind which are the boilers for the building. As she nears the door she leaps again, kicking off the right hand wall, then the left wall and finally grabbing onto and swinging herself on top of a series of pipes. Crawling along these pipes she enters the boiler room through the maintenance crawlway. Dropping down to the floor, Nora immediately begins searching every nook and cranny, but no Ren. Knowing that an alarm will sound if she opens the door, Nora moves as far back as she can to get a running start. Charging towards the door, she leaps, kicking off of the handrail of the small set of stairs that leads down from the door she then bounces off the wall and catches hold of the same pipes she crawled in on.

As she wriggles her way out of the boiler room, her mind is racing. Where should she check next. It isn't until she is about half way up the stares from the basement that she makes a decision. The tower, it would be perfect for the mood Ren is in now. There are other locations closer, but the tower hiding spot is isolated and hard to get to, both things that would call to Ren right now.

Pouring on a bit more speed she applies just a trickle of her semblance to herself. She welcomes the burning sensation in her legs, she knows it's her aura working to repair the damage she's doing to her leg muscles with her semblance. By this time she's moving so fast she doubts anyone besides Ruby and maybe Weiss could catch her, and she knows that if any of the teachers see her she'll be in trouble later, but that doesn't matter right now. Later can be dealt with later, now she needs to find Ren.

Nora skids to a halt by the entrance to the old watch tower and smiles to herself. Throwing open the door and looking around she can see that the layer of dust on the floor has been disturbed very recently, and, as she suspected, the trail leads straight to the staircase that spirals up the inside of the tower.

Taking the stairs two at a time, she quickly reaches the second level and enters the room, making a bee line for the window, which stands open, further proof that Ren has been through here. He was heading for the roof but you couldn't use the stairs to reach it, having been bricked off at some point in the past. Some day she would likely get curious enough to try and find out why, but again, that falls into the "later" category.

Climbing out onto the window's ledge, she looks up and to her right, locking her sight on her next target, the window of the room on the next level. For someone as agile as Ren it would be nothing to find hand and footholds in the stone and mortar of the wall. Nora knew from experience that she could not follow in a similar fashion, she simply leaps towards the window, adding just a touch of her semblance to the leap. She knows she will miss the window, the tower was curved after all, but just as she draws level with the window, she uses her semblance to alter her path and grabs the window sill to pull herself in.

Most people thought that her semblance had to do with increased strength, and Nora never said anything to contradict them. It didn't hurt that she was strong, you couldn't be a weakling if you wanted to swing around an hammer like Magnhild. Of all the weapons she has seen so far at Beacon, only Ruby's Crescent Rose rivals Magnhild in shear mass. An egghead had once tried to explain how her semblance worked, something about absorbing, manipulating and redirecting kinetic energy. His explanation had gone completely over her head, all she knew was that she could stop moving things without getting hurt, that she felt energized afterwards and that she could do things like increase the force with which she hit things and change directions midair.

A quick glance around the room shows that Ren had not stopped here, but instead had continued upwards towards the tower's roof. Charging up the stairs, she doesn't bother checking the doors on the fourth or fifth levels. If he isn't on the roof she can come back down and check them, but for now her destination is the roof.

When she reaches the sixth level the stairs stop, the only way to reach the roof is through a trap door in the ceiling of this level's room. Throwing open the door she charges across the room towards the wooden ladder that leads to the trap door. Scrambling up the ladder, she is about to throw open the trap door, but then hesitates.

"Ren, it's me, Nora. I'm coming up. If you're on the trap door, please move, because I'm coming through." She calls up through the portal.

"I'm not on the door. I knew you'd find me at some point, and I didn't want to get thrown all the way to the Emerald Forrest if you didn't stop before opening it up." Ren calls back. Nora can hear the catch in his voice.

She opens the door carefully and peeks her head up, looking around.

She spots Ren sitting with his back against one of the parapets, his legs are pulled in tight to his body and his arms are wrapped around his legs. His head is leaning back against the wall as he stares off into space.

Nora slowly pulls herself up onto the roof and gently closes the trap door. She can feel the energy humming through her body, but she knows now is not the time to be loud and energetic. Right now Ren needs her to be calm and quiet. She is certain she knows what is going through his head, and she needs to derail that train of thought quickly.

Walking over to where he is sitting she lowers herself down next to him. Their shoulders almost, but not quite touching. She pulls her left leg up to her chest while her right leg is stretched out in front of her. "Ren," she begins softly. "I know why you ran so don't even try to hide it from me. This is about that stupid idea you have lodged in your head. How many times do I have to tell you, it wasn't your fault?"

"But it is Nora, it is my fault they all died." Ren says as the tears begin to roll down his face.

Getting up and moving to crouch in front of him, Nora grabs Ren's face. "Look at me Ren, look at me." As he lifts his eyes to meet hers, she says. "Your mother, your father, your sisters, your brothers, none of them were killed because of you. The Lie clan and the Xu clan had been feuding for years, you had nothing to do with that. It was inevitable that it would come to blows at some point, the rest of the villages knew it would happen and tried to stop it. Unfortunately it failed, and you paid the price for that failure."

Ren tries to pull away, but those turquoise eyes, normally overflowing with joy and hope, but now filled with sorrow and regret for his loss, refuse to let him go. "But Nora, your parents. If I hadn't... if I wasn't..." He trails off, unable to complete his thought, but Nora understood.

"Ren, it was not your fault mom and dad were killed." She says in a stern voice. "Do you honestly think that you telling the people who took you in, cared for you and loved you when your family was murdered, that you loved them caused some idiot to decide to get so drunk that he mistook our living room for the road?"

Removing her hands from his face, Nora pulls him up into an embrace. "Ren, do you really think that you loving your family caused the Xu attack? Do you think telling my parents that you loved them made that jerk materialize in our living room? Do you think not telling me that you love me will keep me from harm? I'm a huntress in training, nobody becomes a hunter because they think it will be a fun job... well, maybe Yang, but I'm fairly certain she's a touch insane. We all have our baggage, yours is just heaver than most. People look at us and I know they think you're the rock that keeps me grounded, but you and I both know that I'm actually the one keeping you afloat."

Nora stands up, pulling Ren up with her. "Ren, we are training to go out and kill monsters who want nothing more than to return the humans and the Faunus to the dust from which we are made. We know that every time we go out to face them we may not be coming back. I know that you love me, you just refuse to admit it aloud. The only thing you're doing, by refusing to admit that you love me, is making what little time we have together just a little bit darker than it needs to be. I love you Mr. Lie Ren and I want us to be together-together and I want the right to break the legs of anyone who tries to tear us apart."

Ren's arms wrap around Nora in a strong hug. "I'm sorry Nora, but everyone I've ever said that to has been taken away from me and I didn't want to lose you too. I know it was stupid, but I did think by not saying those three words that you wouldn't get hurt. I do love you Nora and if you think you can put up with me would you be willing to go out with me?"

She squeezes Ren back. "I think you already know the answer to that, but just to make sure there's no mistake, yes, I'll go out with you."

Looking down into her eyes overflowing with her feelings Ren says. "I've been a fool, but you've always been there by my side. Whenever the memories got too much for me, you were there to keep my head above water. I should have told you a long time ago, but I was afraid you would be taken from me like everyone else. I love you so much. How can I ever repay you for sticking by my side even though I never deserved it?"

Smiling from ear to ear Nora responds. "I have an idea how you can start." She pulls him down so that she can whisper in his ear. "Shut up and kiss me."

Pulling back slightly so that he can look his partner, no his girlfriend in the eyes, Ren smiles back. "As you command, my queen."

As their lips come together in a gentle kiss, a charge runs through Ren's body. As their eyes close, nothing exists beyond the two of them. Time has no meaning for them as they are locked in that position. One of her hands caresses his cheek while the other snakes its way to the back of his head, pulling him deeper into the kiss. One of his hands is pressing into the small of her back as the other cradles the back of her head.

How much time passes with them in that position, neither of them can say. The kiss only breaks when their lungs begin to protest the lack of air.

As they pull away, Nora looks up into Ren's magenta eyes. "Hmmm... I guess that was okay."

Ren looks down at her. "Only okay?"

Smiling mischievously up at him, Nora says. "It was my first kiss, I'm almost positive it was your first kiss, and it was most definitely our first kiss. You never get anything right on the first go. We'll just have to keep practicing until we get it right."

Grinning down at his energetic part..., no girlfriend, he's going to have to get used to that, Ren replies. "You're probably right. Too bad we don't know of any secluded locations we could go to practice."

"I'm sure there are one or two places on campus a couple people could go to be alone together." She shoots back.

"Well, there are a couple places that come to mind. Although, that boiler room I know about doesn't seem all that romantic." Ren says, chuckling lightly.

Nora gasps as if she's in shock. "Lie Ren, are you implying that when we are practicing you will be concentrating on anything other than me?"

"Of course not, my queen, but you must admit, some of the places we've found could result in us getting messy as we practice our new technique." Ren says. "Do you think we should tell the others that we are now official?"

"Nah, let them figure it out on their own. It's not as if we're going to be trying to hide it anyway." Nora stretches up slightly towards him.

Quick to take the hint, Ren bends down slightly and their lips come together in another kiss filled with friendship, understanding and love. It also holds the promise of many more to come. As they part from their second kiss, Ren comments. "Our friends might start to get worried about us if we don't show up soon. Not that I would mind spending several more hours alone with you."

"You're probably right, although I doubt Jaune and Pyrrha will mind that much if we occasionally disappear to practice." Nora giggles.

"You are most likely correct in that, my queen." Ren hugs her once more and bends down to peck the tip of her nose.

* * *

 **There you have my take on Renora. I will now hid from the RWBY community as a whole until I get a chance to watch V3: E1 that way there is no chance of me reading any spoilers. I want my first viewing to be uninfluenced by anyone's opinion. I will read and respond to reviews and comments after I've watched the episode. Keep Moving Forward everyone.**


	5. Flies on the Wall

**Hey everyone, it's been a while since I posted anything and I apologize for that. Honestly, I only planned on taking maybe a month off from writing but that didn't happen. I have one more side story to write for the first arc, hopefully I can get that out by the end of next week and I'm trying to get the next chapter of Steamed Petals out by February 27.**

* * *

 **Flies on the Wall**

General Ironwood stands in his quarters aboard his flagship looking out the large window waiting for his guest to arrive. At least his old friend had informed them of his imminent visit, that man had a bad habit of just showing up out of nowhere and bypassing his security somehow.

He glances at the chronometer mounted on the wall. It shows that it is five minutes until Ozpin is supposed to be here.

Activating the intercom, Ironwood calls up to the bridge. "Any ships on approach?"

"Negative sir, the scopes are clear." Comes the reply.

"Alright, keep a sharp lookout. I'm expecting the headmaster of Beacon Academy for a meeting. Inform me the moment you spot his vehicle." The general commanded.

"Yes sir," came the expected reply.

Turning towards the view port, the general watches the emerald tower of Beacon. "It appears, old friend, that you're going to be late to your own meeting."

"Have you ever known me to be late to anything?" Ozpin's voice sounds out from behind the general.

Spinning around to face the man who is now standing just inside the closed and locked door, General Ironwood splutters, "How?"

Inwardly smirking at the obviously discombobulated general, Ozpin replies cryptically, "You know me well enough, James, to know I have my ways, and my friends."

The use of his given name, rather than his title, makes Ironwood realize that, whatever brought Beacon's headmaster here was not something that Ozpin was pleased about.

"What did you wish to discuss with me, Ozpin?" General Ironwood asks.

"A disturbing report caught my attention recently. It would appear that a well known general in the Atlesian military and a prominent figure in the world of Dust research have been looking into the infusion of black dust into ammunition. Now why would someone in the largest standing military force on Remnant be researching the weaponization of black dust? Especially seeing as how black dust in any form has a very limited number of applications, and weaponized black dust could not be used by anyone with an unlocked aura. Of course, if that person were also spearheading the use of inorganics in their military forces it could be inferred that they were looking for a weapon that said inorganics could use against individuals with an unlocked aura." Peering over the tops of his spectacles and allowing just a hint of anger into his eyes, Ozpin asks. "Is the project indeed shut down as my report indicates, or has it been moved to a black site for further implementation?"

"I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about, Ozpin." The denial springs quickly to the generals lips. Perhaps a bit too quickly the general thinks as Ozpin's gaze hardens into a glare.

"Tell me then, James," Ozpin begins as he starts pacing around the room, "If my friends were to investigate the bowels of this, and the other behemoths you've brought with you, how many of these black dust rounds would they find in your weapons lockers and powder rooms? I trust my source and they gave an estimated production run for the proof of concept portion of the project, would my friends find the count still accurate or would it be dwarfed in comparison to the current numbers?"

"You and your friends have no authority to search my ships, and any unauthorized person found aboard them would be detained for trespassing and tampering with military hardware." General Ironwood snaps back at Beacon's headmaster.

A tiny smile flits across Ozpin's face as he responds shaking his head. "James, James, James, you really should study up on your international treaties before you make such a claim."

"What are you trying to pull, Ozpin?" General Ironwood asks. "None of the treaties in place give any person the right to search another nation's military hardware."

"You actually have that backwards, James." Ozpin says as his gaze never wavers from the younger man's face. "None of the modern treaties REVOKE the rights of me or my representatives to search your equipment." At Ironwoods confused glare, Ozpin decides to take pity on the man and explain his position in full. "I speak, of course, about the ancient document titled Primum Amicitiam Pharus **(1)** or the First Treaty of Beacon. The thirteen signatories of which all agreed to allow the Beacon jurisdiction over travelers in the regions protected by Beacon."

Ozpin's eyes take on a faraway look as he continues. "I'll give you a bit of a history lesson, James. The Beacon you know today is a far cry from what it originally was. At its origin Beacon was not a school to train future hunters, it was more akin to a mercenary unit made up of hunters from several kingdoms, they would travel from village to hamlet to small city offering their services to help defend against the grimm. Now, they were not a mercenary organization it the normal sense, they would help anyone in need regardless of whether a payment had been negotiated in advance or not, and would never turn their backs on someone in immediate need regardless of their ability to pay. In this way they garnered the good will of the people and were offered food and shelter even above what was offered to the soldiers of whichever kingdom the people were beholden to. This went on for quite a number of years until several of the kingdoms of the time decided that Beacon was a threat and incited several other kingdoms into joining them in an attempt to put an end to the group."

Ozpin pauses for a moment, taking a breath and refocusing on the general. "Can you see the direction this story is going?"

Shaking his head, Ironwood replies. "Unless those kingdoms pulled their own hunters off the borders it would have been simple soldiers against trained and battle hardened hunters. The soldiers would be slaughtered in droves, only a huge numbers advantage would allow soldiers to take on hunters or anyone trained in the use of aura and semblance. That is exactly why I want to use inorganics and black dust, to ..." The general glares at Ozpin, muttering under his breath "Damn you."

Ozpin nods his head. "You have given me no information I did not already know, General. Now, allow me to finish this story. The kingdoms brought their forces together in an attempt to bring an end to the Beacon, however, the leadership of Beacon had a rule that, unless absolutely unavoidable, no member was to kill any person, they were, after all, an organization dedicated to defending people from the grimm, so each time the kingdoms' forces would clash with Beacon, the hunters would only defend themselves, dealing only non-lethal wounds to their foes, and retreating from the battlefield at the earliest opportunity. The leaders among the kingdoms saw this as fear and cowardice, but the hunters of Beacon held this one rule as sacrosanct, willing to give up their own life rather than take that of another. Unfortunately, as so often happens during war, the grimm began appearing in larger and larger numbers. One day, as the kingdoms' forces again harassed the hunters of Beacon, a horde of grimm fell upon the soldiers flank. The hunters, seeing what was happening immediately moved to defend the soldiers, even those engaged on the front lines turned their backs to their human foes and moved to engage the grimm, a few even receiving grievous wounds from the soldiers they were trying to protect."

Ozpin sighs, resting the tip of his cane on the floor, and placing both hands upon its head. "By the end of the battle, close to a hundred hunters gave up their lives, but they had slain nearly a thousand grimm, and saved the soldiers tasked with eliminating them. Of the soldiers, none fell to the hunters blades and only those slain before the hunters were able to interpose themselves between the grimm and them fell to the beasts' claws. The story of the hunters' sacrifice and bravery quickly spread through the ranks of the soldiers and began circulating among the general populous of the kingdoms as well. Soon the soldiers began refusing to pursue the members of Beacon, and the populous of the kingdoms started voicing their displeasure at the persecution of the hunters."

"The uprising the leaders of the kingdoms feared seemed to be emerging before their very eyes, instigated not by the hunters, but by their own foolishness, but then the leaders of Beacon called for the people to calm down while at the same time asking the leaders of the kingdoms that had arrayed themselves against Beacon to meet with them in negotiations. Seeing no other choice if they wished to avoid a series of uprisings, the leaders of the kingdoms agreed. At the meeting the leaders were joined by those from other kingdoms who hadn't joined in the attempted elimination of the independent hunters of Beacon, there was even a representative from an overseas kingdom that had trade relations with one of the other kingdoms at the table." At General Ironwood's shocked expression Ozpin nods.

"It is as you suspect. At this meeting, all of the kingdoms involved agreed to allow Beacon to remain unaccosted in their primary goal of protecting the people from the grimm. In addition to this, which was the only thing the leaders of Beacon were asking for, it was decided by the kingdoms involved that Beacon would be given the authority over travelers between the kingdoms. They would be responsible for their protection as well as inspecting their equipment and possessions to ensure that they were no carrying anything that would be considered illegal in the kingdoms they were traveling to. Of the thirteen kingdoms that approved of, and signed the treaty, only two remain. The first is the kingdom of Vallem, which was renamed to Vale. The other is the kingdom of Glühstrumpf, which was later renamed Mantle and is currently know as Atlas." Ozpin peers at the general over his glasses.

Ozpin turns to the view port looking at Beacon's clock tower. "Beacon Academy can trace its origin directly back to these hunters, and an actual physical copy of the treaty is held in our archives. No treaty since that time has nullified that treaty, so the signatory kingdoms are still bound to it. The change from Glühstrumpf to Mantle was in name only, and when the governing body in Mantle failed and was replaced with Atlas's current political system, the new leaders vowed that they would honor all treaties agreed to by the preceding government. Now which will it be, James? Will you give me a straight and honest answer regarding your black dust project, as well as provide me with access to all of the documentation, or do I invoke this ancient treaty and ground your ships until such time as they can be thoroughly searched and inspected? Of course, you could always refuse to comply with the treaty, but that would not be good for Atlas's image. Imagine if the other kingdoms began to question whether Atlas would continue to honor their pre-existing agreements."

General Ironwood realizes he is caught between a rock and a hard place, and he doesn't doubt that Ozpin would do just as he has said. "Fine, you win," he growls as he begins pulling up the files on the project. "It was mostly a bust regardless. We did look into building a factory to produce AuP rounds, but the availability of black dust powder was never going to be sufficient enough to make such a facility cost effective. While it would be possible to manufacture the rounds in limited runs to equip my special forces units with them, those same forces are also the ones most likely to be composed of aura users rendering black dust rounds a hazard to my own personnel."

Ironwood transmits the documents to Ozpin's scroll, stating. "That's everything on the project."

"Thank you General Ironwood. I know you are a busy man so I will leave and allow you to get back to what you were doing." With that, Ozpin activates an icon on his scroll and a black haze surrounds him just before he winks out of existence.

* * *

Ozpin winks into existence back in his office and the haze surrounding him dissipates. Nodding to the man in front of his desk he says, "Thank you for your assistance, it is much appreciated Linus."

"Just don't make a habit of it, old man." He says, grinning, as he straightens his black leather duster and picks up the black fedora from Ozpin's desk. "And don't tell my sister I was here, I don't need the inevitable tongue lashing from her for not making time to see her."

"Fortunately for you she's out on a mission right now, escorting a few of our students on a training exercise and won't be back for a couple more days." Ozpin says to the younger man who nods, placing his hat on his head and vanishes from existence.

* * *

 **(1) I'm not a student of Latin so I had to use a translation program for this title, and when I reversed the translation it reverted back into "The first beacon of friendship".**

 **Well, that's all for this week. I hope you enjoyed it. Reviews and comments are always welcome and remember to Keep Moving Forward.**


	6. A Date to Remember

**A Date to Remember**

Ruby is nervous, she knows what today is and she had wanted to really do something special for her girlfriend, but Weiss had made her promise not to do anything at all for her. It was Weiss's turn to plan their weekend date, and Ruby is beginning to suspect that Weiss had set the schedule up that way intentionally.

The note that had been left on the dresser for her wasn't helping her in the least. "Be ready promptly at 3:00. Wear your combat skirt and bring your "Sweetheart" we will be taking a walk." What could she possibly have in mind.

So here she stands in her combat attire watching the clock as it slowly ticks down from 2:59 to 3:00. She knew Weiss would be here the instant it was 3:00, she was fairly certain that the school set their clocks by Weiss's schedule.

As expected, at exactly 3:00 the door to the room opens to reveal Ruby's Princess. She is dressed in her normal combat gear as well, and Myrtenaster hangs at her hip. Giving the Dolt a quick once over Weiss comments. "Good, you're ready. We have some walking to do before we get to our destination and we need to make sure we have enough time to get back here to help your sister with her scheme."

Ruby pokes her fingers together, looking sheepishly at her. "Are you still mad at me for saying we'd help out without asking you first?"

Weiss's expression softens just a little as she walks up to her girlfriend and pulls her into a warm embrace. "Maybe just a little, Dolt. Although it has been fun getting ready for what Yang has planned, I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't volunteer my help in the future. If you'd have asked me first, I would have said yes, but you didn't give me the option to say no."

"I know, Princess, and I'm sorry. Forgive me?" Ruby asks.

Weiss nuzzles her girlfriend's cheek. "You're forgiven." She releases Ruby and turns towards the door.

Looking back over her shoulder after taking a couple steps, Weiss extends her hand back towards Ruby. "Now come along, we have someplace to go and we're on a deadline."

Smiling brilliantly, Ruby rushes forward to clasp the offered hand. "Where are we going, Weiss?"

"You'll see when we get there." Weiss replies with a smirk.

Giggling slightly Ruby allows Weiss to lead her out of the dorms and across the courtyard.

As they begin to near a familiar path, Ruby asks. "Weiss, are we going into the Emerald Forest?"

Nodding her head Weiss replies, "Yes we are. That's why I told you to wear your combat skirt and bring Crescent Rose with you."

Ruby stops walking, forcing Weiss to come to a halt as well. "But, we're not supposed to go in there without permission."

Weiss lets out a small huff. "Since when have you, Ruby Rose, been a stickler for the rules?"

Ruby looks at her girlfriend in confusion. "Well, it's just th-" she is cut off as Weiss places a couple fingers over her lips, silencing her.

"Besides, I spoke with the headmaster and he gave us permission to go in." Weiss says with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

"You could have said that to begin with." Ruby huffs. "I thought maybe someone kidnapped you and replaced you with an irresponsible look alike."

As they begin walking again, Weiss asks, "Would it be so bad if I acted a little more like you and your sister?"

Ruby ponders this question as they enter the forest and after a while answers. "Honestly, yes. If you were like me and Yang-"

"Yang and I" Weiss interrupts.

Ruby smiles at her girlfriend. "I know, I did that intentionally. You can't help yourself and it's one of the things I love about you. Yang will break the rules just to see if she can get away with it. I will ignore the rules if they get in the way of helping someone. Not you though. You'll point out the rules and stick to them, but you will follow me if I choose to cross the line. You trust me to have a good reason and will back me up. Could you be more open and spontaneous around your friends? Absolutely, but should you break the rules because Yang or I might? No. I love YOU, Weiss. I'm dating you, not my sister. Aside from the ick factor, Yang isn't the type of person I'd want to spend my life with. I want and need someone who will be the rock I can cling to in chaotic waters, the firm footing I can stand upon in the shifting sands, the solid foundation upon which I can build a better me. That's you Weiss. You ground me, but you also complete me."

Weiss brings them to a stop and turns to look fully upon the younger girl. "So I'm your rock, your firm footing and your solid foundation? It sounds like you want me to be on the bottom and for you to be on top." She says, raising her eyebrows and grinning wickedly.

It takes a moment for Ruby to comprehend what Weiss said, but when she does she whines out, "Weiiiss!"

Smirking at the furious blush on her girlfriend's face she responds. "What, I thought you said I needed to be more spontaneous."

"I take it back." Ruby pouts.

Weiss chuckles lightly at her reaction. "We're here by the way Ruby."

Ruby looks around at the small clearing in which they stand. "Where exactly are we?"

"Honestly Ruby, you don't recognize this place?" At the girl's head shake she continues. "Fine, maybe this will jog your memory. Come over here."

Ruby follows Weiss a few steps and then the white haired girl positions her, telling her. "Now stay right there and don't move." Weiss then moves a few feet away and turns to look at Ruby, squinting slightly at her, then turns on her heel and haughtily walks away. Ruby is about to go after her but then remembers that Weiss told her to not move. Weiss reemerges from the bushes and walks past her grabbing onto her hood and saying "By no means does this make us friends."

Comprehension dawns on Ruby as she squeals out, "You came back."

Turning to face her girlfriend, Weiss smiles. "Yes Ruby, I came back. It was on this exact spot that fate decided to take everything I thought I knew about my future and throw it out the window. All by forcing me to team up with this ridiculously hyperactive child. I dreaded the thought of having to be your partner for four years, but I learned that there was more to you than what I'd seen, and now I can't imagine my life without you in it. I brought you out here today to tell you how much I love you, and to promise that I will always come back."

Weiss embraces Ruby and their lips meet in a tender kiss, the two being drawn together almost without conscious thought. The stay locked together like this for almost a full minute before Ruby must break the kiss for air.

Smiling at the younger girl's gasping for air, Weiss says, "While I would like nothing more than to remain here kissing my girlfriend until the sun set and the stars shine down on us, someone said we'd help your sister with her plan, so we need to head back."

"Remind me to never volunteer to help my sister again." Ruby says, a slight whine in her voice.

"I think I can handle that. Happy Valentine's Day Ruby." Weiss replies.

"Happy Valentine's Day Weiss." Ruby responds as they begin their trek back to the dorms to get ready.

* * *

 **A Date to Remember, Part 2**

Blake was sitting in the library reading one of her books, but today the stories were making her feel down. She knew what today was, but her blond girlfriend seemed oblivious to the days significance. It wasn't helping that the two main protagonists in her book were finally starting to realize that they had feelings for each other. Closing the book with a sigh, Blake decides to give up on reading any further. She's in no mood right now to deal with the romances between the characters in her book.

Looking up at the clock Blake wonders where her partner is and what she's doing. She hadn't seen Yang much today other than at lunch. The blond had been gone from the room already before Blake had woken up that morning. Even at lunch, with their friends trying not to be too obnoxiously loving in front of the people without a significant someone in their lives, Yang seemed immune to the date's effects.

She knew that Weiss had something planned for Ruby, but the two of them seemed to be having a disagreement about something. Still, Weiss was going ahead with her plan, maybe she was hoping they would be able to work out their differences while on their date. Blake wasn't worried about them though, she knew it would take more that an argument to split those two up.

Blake had hoped that Yang had something planned for them as well. While Blake may have read her fair share of love stories, it was Yang, surprising as most people would find it, who was the real romantic in the couple. It was Yang who planned most of their dates, and Blake was the first to admit that the few she had planned for them didn't go as well as the ones Yang took them on.

 _'Maybe Yang just doesn't realize what today is.'_ She thinks to herself.

 _'That has to be it.'_ A nasty sounding voice in the back of her head says. _'Yang, the romantic one in the couple, the girl who went all out on the one month anniversary of you agreeing to go out with her, of course she would forget about Valentine's day. Face it kitten, she's growing tired of you. At first you were a challenge, and then you were a new play thing, but now you're growing stale. Do you really think that someone as beautiful and talented as Yang, someone who could wrap anyone around her little finger, would settle for a plain nobody and freak like you?'_

By this time tears have started leaking from her eyes and she realizes she needs to get out of here. She needs some fresh air, and so she runs out the doors and out onto the campus lawn. She knows the perfect place to go so she can be alone and cry her hurt out.

A while later, as the sun is setting Yang finds her sitting under a lone tree a fair ways off the normal routes the students take. She's huddled up into herself as if trying to remain unnoticed, and if Yang hadn't been looking for her she may have walked right past her without noticing her.

Crouching down in front of her girlfriend to be more on her level, Yang can tell that something is bothering Blake. "There you are kitten, I've been looking for you. I figured you might be out here when I couldn't find you in your normal spots. What's got you so upset? Has someone been bothering you? Is there someone whose face needs to meet Ember Celica?"

Shaking her head while not lifting it from where she has it buried in her knees, Blake mutters, "It's nothing."

Letting out an exasperated sigh Yang places a gentle hand on Blake's knee. "Three things give away that lie. First, your ears are pinned flat to the top of your head. Second, you have your arms wrapped around your legs and your face planted in your knees. Third, and most telling, you're out here in one of your favorite spots to disappear to when you want to be left in peace to read, and you don't have a book with you."

Blake lifts her head, and Yang can clearly see how red and puffy her eyes are. "How do you know I don't have a book?"

Yang smiles gently at the dark haired girl. "Do you really think I don't pay enough attention to you to not know your habits. You never read more than one book at a time. The only times I've ever known you to carry more than one of your books with you was if you were almost finished with one and were planning on starting the next one immediately." She then produces the book Blake had been reading earlier. "The librarian asked me to return this to you and to find out if you were okay. She knew it wasn't one of the school's books when she found it on a table in the library and recognized the ribbon you use as a bookmark."

Yang shifts around so that she is sitting next to Blake. "So what's bothering you? You know you can tell me anything, I'm your girlfriend after all."

"Are you really, though?" Blake asks.

"Come again?" The confusion obvious on Yang's face.

"Are you really my girlfriend? Do you really love me, or have you been playing around with me?" Blake says, fresh tears rolling down her face.

"Of course your my girlfriend, yes I really do love you and why would I play around with your feelings like that? This is about my past and how I was never able to stay in a relationship for very long, isn't it?" Yang questions.

"That's part of it, I guess." Blake mutters. "Do you realize what today is?"

Yang looks at Blake for a moment and then burst out laughing. "Is that what this is about? You didn't see me making overly elaborate plans for a date, and I wasn't being annoyingly lovey-dovey with you at lunch and you started getting insecure because it's Valentine's day. Come here you silly kitty and let me explain something." Yang pulls Blake into a hug. "Blake Belladonna, I love you with all of my heart and every fiber of my being. You are the most perfect person in the world for me, and I can't imagine a life without you by my side. For me, every day that you are in my life is Valentine's day. I don't need a specific day to tell you I love you, or to show you how much you mean to me. If you need me to set aside a special day just so I can advertise my love for you to the world then name the day and I will shout it from the highest peak of Beacon's tower so that all of Remnant will know that I, Yang Xiao Long, love you, Blake Belladonna, and will do so until the shattered moon heals itself and the grimm are just a distant memory."

Blake can't help but smile as she hears this, and nestles further into the embrace, but blushes at just how foolish she had been. "I've been being an idiot, haven't I?"

"You are many things, but an idiot is not one of them." Just then Yang's scroll beep, letting her know that she has a text message. Blake groans at the interruption, but Yang opens her scroll to check the message, muttering under her breath. "About time."

"For?" Blake questions.

Absently putting the scroll away, Yang replies, "I told Weiss to let me know when she and Ruby got back from their walk."

"It's not that late, Yang." Blake settles back down, getting more comfortable leaning against her girlfriend.

"It is when you consider they went into the Emerald Forest." Yang says absently.

"Yang, how do you know where your sister and her girlfriend went on their walk?" Blake's focus is fully on her girlfriend now.

"Right, how would I know where they went, forget I said anything." Yang chuckles sheepishly.

"Yang." Blake says as she pinches her girlfriend's side.

"Ow, okay, okay, but you have to promise not to tell Ruby. She needs to think it was all Weiss's idea." At Blake's nod Yang continues. "Anyway, a couple weeks ago Weiss was acting even more frosty than usual. When I called her out on it she, at first, denied anything was wrong, but I eventually got her to spill. Turns out she had set up that silly schedule of theirs so that it would be Weiss's turn to plan a date for Valentine's weekend, but she couldn't think of anything special to do. It was their first Valentine's together after all."

"It's our first Valentine's together, too." Blake murmurs.

"Different couple, an insecure heiress and a socially awkward dolt, they need a special day, unlike us." Yang responds before continuing. "I told her that whatever they did, Ruby would love it simply because the two of them were together. She said she knew that, but wanted to do something special to show just how much she loved my sister. I said I could think of something she and Ruby could do that would be special for Rubes, and of course Weiss jumped to the wrong conclusion and I had to calm her down. I told her to take Ruby back to where they had become partners and to tell Ruby that she would always come back, but she needed to make sure Ruby knew where they were otherwise my sister wouldn't understand what Weiss meant."

"You really are the romantic one in the group." Blake comments.

"I have my moments." Yang admits. "We should probably start back."

"You're not planning on busting in on Weiss and Ruby to embarrass them, are you?" Blake looks disapprovingly at Yang.

"Et tu, Blakey." Yang says, clutching at her chest. "Of course not, although that would be fun too. I was thinking more along the lines of going up to the roof and doing some stargazing while we cuddled together, at least until we figured it was safe to go back to the room."

As Yang stands, bringing Blake with her, the dark haired girl comments. "You do realize that we probably won't be the only ones up there looking to be romantic."

"Maybe, maybe not." Yang retorts.

"Yang, what did you do?" Blake asks suspiciously.

"Nothing." Yang tries to evade.

Blake doesn't buy it for a second. "Yang."

"You'll see when we get there." Yang sighs in defeat. "It'll be easier to show you than to try and explain."

A short time later Blake is staring at Pyrrha dressed in a flowing evening gown of bright scarlet standing by the door to the roof.

As they approach Pyrrha smiles at them. "Good evening ladies and welcome to La Ruche, do you have a reservation?"

"Table for two under Xiao Long." Yang replies.

Pyrrha pretends to check the reservation log, saying. "Ah yes, here it is. If you will follow me, my name is Pyrrha and I will be your hostess for the evening." She opens the door and leads them out onto the roof.

The first thing Blake sees as she and Yang step out onto the roof is a single table with two chairs set up in the middle of the roof. The tablecloth flutters gently in the light breeze, held in place by a floral centerpiece flanked by a pair of lit candles.

Pyrrha leads them to the table where Nora stands dressed as a waitress in a fancy restaurant. Yang holds Blake's chair for her and then settles herself into the chair opposite her partner. Past Yang's shoulder Blake can see Jaune, dressed in a tuxedo tuning his guitar while Weiss and Ruby stand nearby both dressed in evening gowns. Weiss in a flowing white and Ruby in a deep crimson.

After the couple have been seated, Pyrrha says. "This is Nora, she will be your server for tonight. If you need anything please let her know."

Yang reaches across the table, taking Blake's hand. "I hope you don't mind but I took the liberty of ordering for the both of us when I made the reservation."

Taken off guard by all of this, Blake can only shake her head at first. "Not at all." She finally finds her voice. "I look forward to seeing what you selected for us." She's expecting sandwiches, tuna for her and bologna and cheese for Yang.

Blake is shocked when the plates are placed in front of them. "A cedar planked salmon filet and a side of grilled asparagus for you, m'lady." Nora says as she places the plate down in front of Blake, "And a seared rib eye steak with grilled onions and potatoes for you, m'lady." This time placing the plate in front of Yang.

Blake looks around and finally spots Ren standing next to an outdoor grill, but dressed like a chef from a five star restaurant. As they begin their meal Blake's ears perk up as Jaune begins playing a song on his guitar while Weiss and Ruby begin to sing a duet, Weiss in her clear soprano voice and Ruby in a surprisingly beautiful middle alto.

As the two of them finish their meals, Yang asks. "Was it to your liking?"

"It was marvelous." Blake replies smiling.

"Wonderful, then all we have left is desert." At these words Nora walks away from the table where she had been attentively ensuring that their drinks, only water, were refilled as necessary.

"But I couldn't." Blake protests.

"Not to worry, it's just something small and light. I'm sure you'll love it." Yang says as she stands up and moves around the table where she helps Blake to her feet.

By this time Blake has noticed that the singing and guitar have fallen silent. She looks around and sees Weiss and Ruby standing together, a short distance from them are Jaune and Pyrrha together and then Ren, with a space next to him where Nora is obviously supposed to be. Said girl is currently standing next to Yang with a small tray in hand, upon which rests an even smaller square box.

Once Yang retrieves the box, Nora retreats to Ren's side, completing the trio of watching couples. As Yang drops to one knee, tears spring from Blake's eyes, she can't believe what is happening.

Yang opens the box and shows it to Blake. It is a simple band of gold with diamond chips set into the top to form a heart. "I'm sorry Blake, I know you were probably expecting an engagement ring. Unfortunately, this is only a token to serve as a reminder of the promise I am about to make. This ring symbolizes my promise to you to one day replace this one with two others, one set with a real diamond and the other a simple band of gold. I promise to you that I love you, and will continue to love you for all of my days. Will you, Blake Belladonna, be my Valentine, now and for always?"

"Yes, Yang, yes, a million times yes." Blake doesn't care that this isn't a real engagement ring as Yang slips it onto her finger. She will treasure it forever, even after it is replaced by the real items she will make sure that this ring will never be lost. 'Now and for always.' Those words echo in her mind as she closes her eyes and leans in to join her lips to Yang's.

Now and for always this will be a date to remember.

* * *

 **I couldn't resist, so that was my contribution of White Rose and Bumbleby Valentine's day fluff. Arcos and Renora are also implied, but I have a hard time writing for them.**


End file.
